It’s a beautiful day, so let’s play two. And that’s exactly what we did.

Getting started was the hard part, especially when sunrise glimmers off the boats in Ventura Harbor, enticing you to sit back with a cup of coffee and simply enjoy the scenery or watch the foot (and boat) traffic get an early start to the day. But an early start was important to us as well. Not because we needed to beat the heat; after all, this is Ventura — Southern California coast incarnate — where nary a day goes by that doesn’t offer blue skies and sea breezes. But because we had big plans.

My father and I were in town to take our shots at the latest one-two punch operated by Kemper Sports — the wide-open Olivas Links and the tree-lined Buenaventura. It would be a day of contrasts, both in design styles and golf shots, but 36 holes were the goal, even if the time change was a few days away, and we were excited to see how much Ventura golf had changed in the more than 30 years since my family called this area home, long before I even knew the difference between a driver and 9-iron.

Designed by Forrest Richardson on the site of the old Olivas Park Municipal Golf Course, the new Links expertly straddles that line between new and old, with touches from the past (like a vintage scorecard box and old-timey farm equipment from a neighbor) placed throughout a course that feels both modern and entrenched.

“We wanted it to feel like a locals course,” says our guide for the morning round, friendly Director of Golf Carl-Van Vallier. “It’s one of those places where the more you get out here, the more you understand how to play the golf course.”

That’s why you won’t see barber poles marking the middle of fairways or other contemporary tricks of the trade (although one member of our group did use a much-appreciated rangefinder). And it’s also why you need to pay attention throughout the round or you might not realize which flag is your target on the double green that serves both the No. 9 and No. 18.

“Width is a hallmark of the new course, Richardson says. “No longer are holes just a matter of playing down a corridor of tree lines to both edges. Where they do pinch down, the land curves and drops with the flow; nothing is forced. It all follows the natural lay of the land. Everything follows the natural swales and grooves that carry water toward the [adjacent] Santa Clara River.

“The completed course was completely rebuilt using none of the previous holes or greens. All features were built from scratch. What had become 14 individual lakes spotted around the property were reworked into four larger bodies of water with some interconnected streams.”

Along with the design overhaul, conditioning is where the new Olivas Links shines. The original course, once a 27-hole layout, was hit by floods in the 1970s. With much of the grounds compromised, city officials reconfigured the layout, in-house, to an 18-hole course that became highly used. But with the high volume of play came deteriorating conditions.

Today, none of those problems remain. Under the oversight of Director of Agronomy Matt Mulvany, Olivas Links matches the best courses of its kind in both turf and putting surfaces, creating a playing atmosphere that is never distracted by the conditions.

Distracted by the challenge? Well that’s another story. At Olivas Links’ full 6,818 yards, the course has beastly potential, especially when the winds blow. But on a relatively calm morning, from the 6,530 blue tee distance, holes are there for the taking, provided you have a relatively good grip on the driver and full command of your chipping and putting, the crucial components to any well-played links round.

But, most importantly, this is fun, give-it-all-you-got golf, not unlike another Kemper-managed (and
FG favorite) course up the coast, Monarch Dunes, where General Manager Matt Kalbak spent his days before taking the job overseeing Olivas and Buenaventura.

Of course Buenaventura is an entirely different kind of challenge. Also redesigned by Richardson, this course had some history worth preserving. Whereas Richardson & Associates had the luxury to view the Olivas Links construction as a blank slate of sorts, Buenaventura had a legacy. It was a William Bell routed among stately mature trees. It needed an updating, not an overhaul.

The result is a contrast in styles that comes fully into focus when played back-to-back. The slashing drivers that are unleashed at Olivas need a bit more restraint at the more old-school Buenaventura. The smaller greens require more precision, and sometimes even more touch with the rescue wedges.

However, the senior course doesn’t have to be approached with trepidation. We watched one young gun fire his way to a 71 by hitting driver all day long, going for greens every chance he got on the 6,054-yard layout. “It makes more sense for me to try to recover from a bad shot than lay up,” he said.

He must have been reading my diary.

Perhaps the best aspect of these underrated Southern California courses is the price. Since they are owned by the City of Ventura, green fees top out around $50, a true bargain when you consider the quality of golf compared to other tracks throughout the West (especially in the deserts) that fetch three times that or more. But righteous rates are only part of the equation. Olivas Links and Buenaventura pack a friendly, challenging punch, and that’s what will keep real golfers coming back for more. FG

OLIVAS LINKS
www.olivaslinks.com | 805.677.6770
Rates $39-$52
Yardage 5,348-6,818 | Rating 70.3/123

BUENAVENTURA
www.buenaventuragolf.com| 805.677.6772
Rates $32-$41
Yardage 4,787-6,054 | Rating 65.7/114